Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would travel to Brussels on Wednesday (29 June) for talks to defend Scotland’s place in the European Union after a vote by Britain as a whole to leave the bloc.

But Spain’s Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, poured cold water on the Scottish plan.

“We are totally against. The treaties are totally against and I think everyone is totally against,” he said flatly.

“The only interlocutor is the United Kingdom, otherwise we are destroying the treaties,” he told journalists on Wednesday (29 June) after a two-day EU summit in Brussels.

If Britain leaves the EU, “Scotland will leave” too, added Rajoy, who attended the summit while trying to forge a government coalition after winning the Spanish general elections last Sunday.

Asked if Spain would veto a request for an independent Scotland to join the EU, he replied that the question was too hypothetical.

“I do not know what will happen in the future,” he answered.

Second referendum

Sturgeon had declared earlier that a second independence referendum in Scotland was “highly likely” after Britain voted to leave the EU last week.

Sturgeon met on 29 June with European Parliament President Martin Schulz. She also met with the leaders of the Parliament’s main political groups, including Rajoy’s centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) as well as the Liberals.

The Co-President of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, Rebecca Harms, spoke to EURACTIV.com a couple of hours before meeting with Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is currently visiting Brussels, seeking a solution to keep Scotland in the EU.

EPP sources told EURACTIV that the meeting was primarily aimed at listening to Scotland’s views on the EU following the Brexit referendum. But EPP leader, Manfred Weber, made it clear that no steps will be taken until London activates article 50 of the EU treaty, which sets off a two-year divorce procedure.

On the eve of his meeting, Schulz said the intention was to get the Scottish government’s position on the EU.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, also agreed to meet with her after the summit on 29 June (Wednesday).

A former journalist turned EU official, Amadeu Altafaj has been sitting on both sides of the fence. Now, as the Permanent Representative of Catalonia in Brussels, he wants the EU to give its blessing to the region’s independence process after the local elections to be held on Sunday (27 September).

A Commission official noted the high level of support for EU membership not only among Scottish citizens but also in Westminster. “We have 60 Scottish MPs in the British Parliament that we need to listen to,” the official commented.

Sources explained that Juncker had waited for British Prime Minister David Cameron to leave Brussels before announcing his meeting with Sturgeon on Wednesday, only hours before it took place.

European Council President, Donald Tusk, refused to meet with her because this was “not the right moment”, a member of his team explained.

Sturgeon’s tour came amidst EU leaders’ efforts to speed up the divorce process with the UK and parallel talks to rethink the bloc with only 27 members.

Following the UK’s historic decision to leave the EU, member states convened in Brussels to begin the unprecedented decision of discussing the terms of its divorce. Follow EURACTIV’s live blog below for all the developments as they happened.

Catalonia’s moment?

As expected, Sturgeon’s diplomatic push in Brussels was immediately noticed by nationalist forces in Spain.

Carles Puigdemont, Catalonia’s regional president, said the EU would “radically” change its views on the processes of self-determination as a consequence of Brexit.

He told anti-separatist MPs in Parliament that they should be “more prudent” when stating that an independent Catalonia would immediately fall outside the EU.

“At this moment, the first minister of Scotland is meeting with European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker…you will see how Brussels will change radically its view on cases like Scotland and Catalonia, because it is already happening”.

But while Europe is in listening mode with Edinburgh, experts and officials agree that Scotland and Catalonia are two different animals.

“These are opposite cases”, Pedro Lopez, a senior EPP official told EURACTIV. “If Catalonia wants to use the Scottish issue, they will have to explain first why they want to leave the EU by leaving Spain”, he added.

Positions

The European Commission insisted on Tuesday that Catalonia would have to leave the EU if it becomes independent from Spain. The comments came after a group of advisers to the Catalan government published a report saying that an independent Catalonia would be able to stay in the EU.

Background

Pro-independence feeling has surged in Catalonia in recent years, fanned by disagreements with the conservative central government and Spain's sharp economic downturn, which has left nearly one in four people out of work, despite a slow recovery in recent months.

During a symbolic independence referendum held in November 2014, which the top court in Spain ruled unconstitutional, only 1.9 million out of 6.3 million potential voters cast their ballot in favour of secession.

Before the elections, secessionist had announced their intention to carry on with the breakaway process and declare independence within 18 months, should they earn an absolute majority.

Their plans include approving a Catalan constitution, building institutions like an army, central bank, a judicial system and a tax collection agency.

In the most extreme scenario, the Spanish government could activate Article 155 of the constitution, suspending Catalan autonomy, although this would be under very exceptional circumstances.

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5 responses to “Rajoy warns against talks with Scotland on EU membership”

This Mariano Rajoy should be ashamed of being so narrow and selfish! The Scots are already in the EU family and have the total right to REMAIN in the EU and not being pushed out against their will by little england.
Anyway this has nothing to do with Catalonia. Spain is NOT divorcing from the EU, but the UK IS.

Barcelona is anyway fully implemented in the Spanish constitution under self-governing capabilities ..
What really interesting for the E.U. and for Spain is the Enclave now which is of a strategically economic importance point as well for military purposes .
Actually Gibraltarians or Britons there are without significations cause they are left outside the Union . Has Majoy or Cameron forgotten theses people who overhelmly voted to remain IN ? Nobody is talking on their existence actually ? No one word has been instituted by the media on that matter !?!
Regarding the situation those people are becoming angry and Britain is only worrying on Scotland ! It’s a shame and should beginn to give Gibraltarians hope for a next solution at least !

Scotland remains an integral part of the UK and will be coming out of the EU with the rest of the UK. It is highly unlikely that the UK Parliament would agree to another time and energy-wasting referendum, let alone without a 2/3s gate, which would be unlikely to lead to a different result. An ‘independent’ Scotland would have to re-apply for EU membership, accepting the Schengen acquis and the euro from the word go. Each is a killer, politically, not least as there would have to be import and passport controls at the Anglo-Scottish frontier.

Tony Blair with his devolution has destroyed this country ironically by pandering to nationism ,now we have a rouge goverment in scotland which again ironically is left wing lol, so you have a left wing scottish goverment who wants national independence ( i thought lefties were internationalist ) to escape England who is their biggest customer only to join a customs union ruled by unelected commissioners , these people are insane , even if they suceed do they really imagine that the 27 real nations of the EU are going to take tiny scotland seriuously ?
Ok suppose they do ? the EU by free movement will flood the country with immigarnts to expand its ecomomy which will cause as in england wage despression and all the rest until the scots will revolt in about five years for the same reason England did .
These people are so far up thier hatred of tories and the english that they are willing to embrace tyranny and cultural breakdown just to rid themselves of england , in the course of all this making treasonist deals with parts of england such as the Islamic/left wing coalition in London , to destabilise england who they hate >
We should let them go for the sake of England and wales , or desolve the devolution Act and be done with it .These people will never see sense !!!